[mindcrime]

In spite of having only an entry level job in a pink collar ghetto, trying to figure out how to sidestep trouble with men at work took way the hell too much of my time and energy.

It sounds like the guys you worked with were going beyond what I'm talking about. I am absolutely not saying that it's OK to harass people, to propose "quid pro quo" situations, etc. I'm just saying that co-workers should feel free to ask each other out, within the obvious constraint of doing so in a polite, respectful and reasonable manner.

But I also did not feel I should have to tell someone I barely knew about my medical situation.

You're right, there's no reason you should be obligated to do that.

[Mz]

No, they weren't. I am very socially observant and was uncomfortable well before anything too obvious happened. It allowed me to carefully sidestep trouble, in some cases such that no one had a clue I ever had an issue. In one case, the man was fired for bad behavior involving a woman more than two years after I got myself very quietly moved to avoid him. So I have plenty of evidence that I was not merely being neurotic.